"Can't you slow down sometimes?!" Edo shouted, trying to keep up with his friend. "I'll be first again, Edo! Learn how to run properly already, how long do I have to wait for you?" The two young boys ran together, heading towards the abandoned factory, standing by the river as if forgotten by the whole world.

"Wait! Can't you see I'm barely breathing?" Edo gasped, dragging his feet sluggishly, struggling to catch his breath.

"Excuses, always just excuses," the other boy responded with a slightly mocking, yet childlike voice. His short blond hair waved in the wind as he sped up, as if propelled by the breeze his fast running generated. His green, crystal-like eyes gleamed, full of energy and joy, as if running required no effort from him. His clothes were tattered, dirty from hours of outdoor play, but a smile never left his face, no matter the conditions.

"Okay, we're here, Edo," the blond boy suddenly stopped, giving his friend a moment to catch his breath. "Our secret base! But, you know, we really need to come up with a name for it because 'secret base' sounds boring already," he said, a little disappointed, as if the lack of a new name had taken some of the magic out of the place.

Edo finally arrived, though at least ten seconds behind his friend. He gasped, barely able to stand. "Listen, slow down, will you? Who's going to take this place from us anyway? Who would want to go into an abandoned factory by the river? Let me breathe," he muttered irritably, wiping sweat from his forehead.

The blond boy glanced at him with slight dissatisfaction. "You were the one who suggested this place, and now you're mad that I run too fast?"

"What does my suggestion have to do with your speed, you idiot?" Edo retorted, but both boys looked at each other and, after a brief moment, burst into laughter. It was carefree, sincere laughter, the kind only children have. They had no idea of the harshness of the world around them.

The boys came from poor families. Edo was raised by his single mother, abandoned by her husband shortly after his birth. Yuki, for that was the name of Edo's friend, had strict but loving parents who had simply been unlucky in life and ended up in the worst part of town. Both boys were only children, and the only playground in the area was occupied by older kids who always bullied and beat the younger ones. That's why they searched for secluded places to play, and the abandoned factory had become their secret haven. It was full of interesting corners that sparked their imaginations, and the eerie atmosphere added an extra thrill to their games. The factory, as it was said, had been shut down years ago due to pollution of the river it bordered.

As they entered, sunlight pierced through the broken windows, reflecting off the dusty floor and walls, forcing the boys to squint their eyes.

"Damn, why's it so bright? Maybe we should smash the remaining windows with rocks? That would be fun!" Edo suggested, but Yuki quickly intervened.

"Are you crazy? Do you know what could happen if one of the glass shards hit us? That kind of glass could seriously injure us," Yuki replied with a slight anger in his voice, sensing that Edo sometimes didn't think about the consequences.

Edo nodded in agreement. "You're right, Yuki, sorry. So, how about hide-and-seek?" he asked, excited at the prospect of a new game, as hide-and-seek had always been his favorite.

Yuki sighed but smiled, seeing his friend's enthusiasm. "Alright, fine. But you're lucky I didn't suggest tag, 'cause I would have crushed you," he joked. The boys started laughing but quickly stopped, knowing it was time to begin the game.

"Okay, rock, paper, scissors," they said simultaneously, ready to decide who would hide.

"Yes! I won!" Yuki shouted with joy, flicking Edo on the forehead.

"Hey, that hurts, you moron," Edo said with a wry smile, rubbing the sore spot.

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"You've got two minutes, count! And no cheating, Edo!" Yuki said in a serious tone, though a smile was visible in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, it happened once that I cheated, and now you're going to hold it against me forever?" Edo seemed slightly irritated but quickly started counting, turning his back to his friend.

After two minutes had passed, Edo finally finished counting. He took a deep breath, then shouted with all his might, "I'M COMING TO FIND YOU!!!" His voice echoed through the old factory, which stretched out before him like a mysterious land. Without hesitation, he set off in search of his friend, Yuki.

The factory was silent, almost ominously so, adding a special atmosphere to the scene. It had rained the day before, and the sound of raindrops now hitting the metal structures echoed, filling the space with unique acoustics. Metal pipes, empty containers, and old equipment were everywhere, as if the factory had forgotten it once thrived with life.

"Yuki, come out! I'll find you sooner than you think!" Edo called, trying to keep a playful tone to his search, though he felt a slight tinge of unease in his heart. As he wandered through the abandoned corridors and empty rooms, his footsteps seemed to amplify the silence. He had already searched a few rooms, but there was no sign of Yuki. However, when he entered one of the more dilapidated rooms, he felt something he hadn't experienced in this place before.

This room felt different – the air was damp, and the smell was reminiscent of a pool or wet walls after a long rain. Edo wondered if it had something to do with being on one of the lower levels of the factory, in the area where waste used to be dumped into the nearby river through a system of pipes and tubes. But now, the place seemed completely forgotten, and the pipes that filled nearly every space made it an ideal hiding spot. "Yuki could be hiding here," Edo thought as he ventured deeper into the maze of metal pipes.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and his steps grew more cautious. But what he saw in the center of the room made his heart race. On the floor, among the pipes, was a dark, deep hole. Edo felt his pulse quicken. He approached it cautiously, almost on tiptoes, to the edge. Through the hole, he could see a lot of water below. It was probably water that had seeped in from the nearby river, filling the lower parts of the factory.

Edo stopped, staring into the dark abyss. The thought crossed his mind that if he hadn't been careful, he might not have noticed the hole and fallen straight into the water. A chill ran down his spine at the thought of what could have happened. "That could've ended really badly," he thought.

Carefully, he backed away from the edge, and his heart slowly returned to its normal rhythm. Like most children, he quickly forgot about the incident, even though the hole in the floor posed a serious danger.

"Yuki, come out! I know you're here!" Edo kept repeating, his voice echoing off the walls of the room filled with the labyrinth of pipes and metal structures. His gaze darted nervously around the room, stopping at every corner, every nook where his friend might be hiding. His heart beat faster, and with each passing second, the tension grew. The room was cold, damp, and the air smelled of metal and rust. The sound of water dripping from the pipes and the rustle of drops hitting the floor only heightened the sense of unease.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. In the dim light, he noticed a piece of fabric sticking out from behind one of the pipes. It was a pipe near the wall, barely lit, a perfect hiding spot. Edo immediately realized – it had to be Yuki. He had tried to hide but hadn't accounted for one thing: part of his shirt was sticking out, giving away his presence. "If it weren't for that, maybe I wouldn't have found him..." Edo thought, feeling relieved that the search was coming to an end.

"Got you!" he shouted, running to the pipe and grabbing the fabric. His face twisted in confusion when he felt something unexpected. The fabric he had grabbed was strangely wet. No, not just wet – it was cold, almost icy, as if it had been submerged in cold water for a very long time. Edo's fingers trembled, and the chill of the moisture sent a shiver down his spine.

"Yuki, come out. I found you," he said more quietly, trying to mask the growing unease. But no one answered. No rustle, no word. Only the dull echo of his own voice reverberated off the walls. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Yuki, stop it. This isn't funny!" Edo's voice began to tremble, not just from irritation but from a growing fear. Was this some kind of weird joke? Yuki never played games like this. He never did anything this terrifying. "If this is a joke, it's really not funny," he said, though deep down he knew this was no joke.

"Yuki, come out already!" he now shouted, trying to break through the mounting tension, but his voice sounded more desperate than commanding. He tugged on the piece of fabric still in his hand with all his strength. The shirt, though wet and slippery, offered no resistance. Yuki's limp body slid out from behind the pipe, falling to the floor with a dull, unsettling thud.

Edo blinked several times, trying to comprehend what he had just seen. What lay on the floor no longer resembled the cheerful boy he once knew. His heart froze, and his mind was filled with an eerie void. "What..."—was all he could whisper, standing there in complete shock.

What he saw was beyond description. Yuki's body was unnaturally distorted, as if something had blurred his contours. His skin, especially on his face, was pale as snow, wet, and shining with a strange, deathly glow. His eyes... they no longer held any life. They were empty, dead, if they could even be called eyes. They looked like two dark, bottomless holes. His lips had turned so pale they seemed almost transparent, as if Yuki had spent hours in freezing water.

Edo felt his legs turn to jelly. He couldn't stand any longer. He collapsed to his knees, staring at the body of his best friend, which now looked like something pulled from the worst nightmares. His hands instinctively went to his head, as if trying to shield himself from the sight that refused to leave his mind.

Tears began to flow down his face, hot and uncontrollable. Edo sobbed, his body shaking with spasms. Each second felt like an eternity, each thought like a blow straight to his heart. It was as if the whole world had crumbled, trapping him in this single moment, this endless instant of pain.

"Why..." he thought, looking at his friend, who lay motionless.

His head began to ache, as if something was squeezing his skull from the inside. The pain was so intense that the image before his eyes started to blur. The world around him turned black, and the last thing he saw was Yuki's lifeless body. Then there was only darkness, darkness that swallowed him whole, sparing him from further suffering.